Given the result was a foregone conclusion the minute Houston beat Oakland the previous week, Texans/Patriots did about as well as CBS could have hoped.
The Texans/Patriots AFC Divisional Round game had an 18.2 overnight rating on CBS Saturday night, down 10% from Packers/Cardinals on NBC last year (20.3), down 3% from Panthers/Seahawks on FOX in 2015 (18.8), and the lowest for the window since Packers/Falcons in 2011 (18.1).
The 18.2 is also the lowest for a Divisional Round game on CBS since Ravens/Titans in 2009, which aired on a Saturday afternoon (17.0).
The lower numbers were to be expected given the lack of suspense. New England entered the game as a historic 16-point favorite.
Boston led all markets with a 42.2 rating, followed by Patriots secondary market Providence (36.1). Houston ranked third (33.3), with Kansas City the top neutral market (25.9) and Richmond, VA (24.4) rounding out the top five.
(Wknd. numbers from CBS Sports)
